Post by Laura (Lori) on Oct 4, 2008 22:56:57 GMT -8

This thread is totally devoted to Jessica Smith, and is intended to be an archive of her skating career - as well as a place to chat about her accomplishments and encourage her as she pursues her goals both on and off the ice.

If you have any articles, photos, links and news about Jessica (past or present), we'd love to see them!

If you are a non-member who would like to contribute news, photos, archives or comments, please feel free to contact us at:

lori@rocker-u.net or michelle@therockerfund.org

You can help support Jessica as she trains via the following Paypal link, which is provided with Jessica's permission:

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out & screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!”

After completely dominating a sport for more than a decade, an athlete may be determined to look for a new challenge.

For Melvindale’s Jessica Smith, that new challenge comes in the form of one of sports biggest stages – the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Smith, 25, is a world champion inline speed skater.

She has been involved in speed skating since she was nine months old. Starting her on quad skates, her parents believed it would help with her balance and coordination.

Twenty four years later and Smith has accomplished everything an inline skater can.

She has represented the United States in the World Championships, winning 12 Senior gold medals and 13 Junior gold medals; and in the 1997 Pan American Championships where she earned three additional gold medals.

Inline speed skating is not an Olympic sport, though.

To get a chance at winning an Olympic medal, Smith has had to transition from wheels and tracks to blades and ice.

For the past three years she has juggled competing on both surfaces, but during the last year has focused solely on the frozen variety of skating.

“Inlines have always been in my heart and I enjoy inlines,” Smith said. “Now I have to switch sports to obtain the Olympics and a dream of becoming an Olympic gold medalist.”

The most recent step toward making her dream a reality, happened on the weekend of Dec. 20.

Smith participated in the U.S. Short Track World Cup Speedskating Team tryouts in St. Louis, earning a bronze medal in the 1000 meters women’s race.

Her time solidified a spot on the women’s team that will participate in the World Short Track Speedskating Championships in Vienna, Austria on March 6-8, and the World Team Short Track Speedskating Championships March 14-15 in Heerenveen, Netherlands.

Perhaps the most important result of making the team is obtaining the extra competitions that will help her prepare for the Winter Olympics.

It also saved Christmas at the Smith household.

“She has wanted it so bad and she’s done nothing but train and work so hard,” Jessica’s mom, Reina Smith said. “I was so excited for her because this is what she needed.

“She needs that race experience on the ice.

“I just thought this is going to be a long Christmas if she doesn’t make that team.”

Smith tried long track speed skating on ice, but has moved to the short track because it better suits her skills from her time as an inline champion.

The short track style is raced in packs where as the long track is raced in individual lanes.

Traveling around the world can be an obstacle that is associated with the sport, but Smith said she enjoys the travel and has already been to 25 different countries.

At the age of 12 she was already visiting the world for inline competitions, balancing a checkbook and using a credit card. All while bringing homework on the road and maintaining high grades at Cabrini High School.

“As far as being disciplined, it was all her,” Jessica’s father Rick Smith said. “You didn’t have to tell her, ‘come on lets go to practice,’ she had the want to do it and everything it took. She made it happen.”

To be able to keep up with the rigorous challenges of fully competing on ice, Smith has moved to West Jordan, Utah so she can train.

Her regimen includes practicing six days a week for around eight hours a day. She also takes classes at the University of Utah and pays for her room and board by working in the hardware department of a local Home Depot.

Not exactly the celebrity life of a professional athlete.

One of the toughest parts for her family has been not having her around.

Reina Smith said at first she hated having her daughter live on the other side of the U.S.

Because Utah is so far away, the family only gets together a few times a year.

No matter how difficult the long-distance relationship is on her mom and dad, Smith’s younger brother Travis, 11, had the hardest time adjusting to not seeing his big sister.

“He’s used to it now, but at the beginning he never wanted her to go,” Reina Smith recalls. “I’ll never forget, he said, ‘who cares about the Olympics? Big deal. Sister’s not home.’”

Now that everyone has adjusted to Smith’s living situation, her parents are confident that the sky is the limit for their daughter.

After all, they should know best. They witnessed her dedication, work ethic and drive from a very young age.

Her father even vividly recalls Smith going so far as to riding her bike to skating practice as a youth for additional training and conditioning.

That desire doesn't seem to be disappearing. either.

With Olympic speed skaters competing into their early 30s, Smith doesn’t see her career ending in the near future.

“I don’t have any time set," she said. "I feel like I’ll know when I’m ready to be done. When I’m not ready to give it my all everyday at training then that’s when it’s time to call it quits.

"Right now I’m enthused to keep on training everyday and to get out there and try to become the best I can be and hopefully go out there and win an Olympic medal.

“After the Olympics I don’t even know what I plan to do, but there’s no sign of when I’ll quit.”

Post by Laura (Lori) on Jan 26, 2009 16:05:31 GMT -8

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out & screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!”

Some photos of Jessica, World Cup 6, Dresden, Germany 2009. Jessica came so close to being on the podium for an individual medal this go round. Whe was part of the Gold Medal winning women's relay! Good Job, Jessica!

Post by Laura (Lori) on Jun 2, 2009 19:20:19 GMT -8

This is some stuff brought over from Jessica's profile on www.Rocker-U.net. I wanted to make sure that everything there is also here...

The following Hero Card was provided by US Speedskating:

From the 2008-2009 USS Media Guide:

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out & screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!”

Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 13, 2009 11:48:34 GMT -8

Hey, thanks so much for that info - I've been wanting to get more info about Jessica for the forum, and this is just the ticket!

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out & screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!”

Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 27, 2009 19:38:15 GMT -8

Jessica participated in this event!

I remember hearing about this back when it originally happened, but it showed up in a recent Google Alert, and it's still newsworthy - here's hoping that Mexico's 'ice' dreams have progressed as they had hoped!

The following is from (I believe) an inline blog (it's a bit easier to follow by just going directly to the link, which contains pics and some interesting secondary links):

Ice Speedskating in Mexico City! This weekend we will witness a very historic moment in ice speedskating for Mexico. From the heart of Mexico City's, famed Zocalo (center plaza) a few speedskaters will take to the ice, skating where no speedskater has ever skated before. They will do exhibition short track speed skating on Saturday and Sunday evenings this weekend (Dec 1 & 2). A second show was scheduled due to the growing popularity of the event.

Inline speedskating is very large and highly organized in Mexico, while ice speedskating is non-existent. This weekend we hope changes that forever, and we see a new era in Mexico speedskating.

The news came on short notice this past week, but Mexican Speedskating Team skaters, Eric Kraan and Arnim Ruelas, were ready to pack their bags at a moments notice and head south to experience the largest ever man made ice rink. The rink will open this weekend in Mexico City, and is 3000 sq meters, about the size of 3 hockey rinks, with a 1200 person capacity.... that could get quite cozy.

Sebastian Cano and Chris Creveling, both World Cup inline skaters from the US, and members of the WHIP (inline to ice transition) program headed by Derek Parra here in Salt Lake City, will accompany the 2 Mexican skaters. Also, accompanying Eric & Arnim will be speedskater and sprinter extraordinare' Andrew Love, of Salt Lake city, 4 x champion of United States & North American masters LT racing. Andrew's blog has posts and images - he will update from Mexico as he can. [Update] Jessica Smith, World Cup inline skater from the USA, and member of the US Speedskating Team will also join in the speedskating event. (it's nice to see women represented in the sport)

For Mexico, and for us personally, as Eric single-handedly founded the Mexican Speedskating Team in 2002, this has been a long time coming. We are so excited about the prospects of the future of Mexico Speedskating, particularly now that we are given opportunity to present speedskating to literally thousands of people over the next few days.

TV: We are not certain which local media tv station will televise the event, but it will be broadcast all over Mexico! Will update this as more info become available, so you too can witness this historic event!

Thanks everyone for your support of Mexico Ice Speedskating!

========================================Hello friends, This email is in both English and Spanish so all our friends can understand what is happening in Mexico City.

December 1st will be the GRAND OPENING of a giant ice rink at the heart of Mexico city. Sebastian Cano, Chris Creveling, both skaters from the USA, will accompany Arnim Ruelas and myself Eric Kraan (Mexico Team Speedskaters), to Mexico City for an exhibition of speedskating at the historic plaza "Zocalo" in downtown Mexico City. As many of you know, it has always been my dream to get Mexico on skates, and in many ways I have accomplished this dream to a small scale. I have responded through the years to many Mexicans interested in getting started but since I am in Salt Lake City and they are most of the time in the interior of Mexico the dreams fade away. Lack of money, visas and lots of expenses stand in the way. This past few weeks we have been contacted by the Government of Mexico City and the Promoter of this event www.factorbike.com to be part of the opening ceremony where along figure skating, barrel jumping, ice hockey, and yes... SPEEDSKATING will show Mexicans how they can enjoy of the ice sheet that they will have at their disposal FREE OF CHARGE for one month. It is my hope and dream that a young Mexican kid will find during this weekend speedskating as fascinating as I did when I was a young kid and will know that his or her dreams are not out of reach.

Thank you, Gracias,

Eric Kraan

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out & screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!”

THE SKINNYIn her first full season competing in short track, speedskater Jessica Smith of Melvindale earned a spot on the U.S. team that won a bronze medal at the ISU world team championships in March. This season she hopes to top that with a berth on the U.S. Olympic team for the Vancouver Games.

Smith, 25, is a former world champion in inline who transferred to ice three years ago. The 2001 graduate of Allen Park Cabrini was a quick study thanks to the Wheels on Ice Program directed by 2002 Olympic long-track gold medalist Derek Parra.

Now living and training in Salt Lake City with fellow short trackers, Smith is looking forward to the upcoming trials in Marquette, where her cheering section will include her parents, Rick and Reina Smith, and her 11-year-old brother, Travis.

Smith spoke by phone a few days ago with Jo-Ann Barnas of the Free Press. Here are highlights of their conversation:

On having a chance to visit Marquette and train during a national team camp in June: “I was glad to have had the chance to experience Marquette and get a visualization of what the city’s like. ... I hope that everything that I’ve put in will be enough to put me on the Olympic team. Some of the girls that I’m skating against — like Kimberly (Derrick), Katherine Reutter and Allison Baver — have been skating short track for a while.”

On her adjustment from inline to speedskating on ice:“It’s not easy. There are so many technical differences between the two. Long track is more similar to inline skating, whereas comparing inline to short track — it’s way different. Your shoulders are completely opposite. I skated 23 years on inline, and I had to completely change the way my body was used to going. You have to sit way lower than what I ever imagined, more on a 90-degree angle. It makes you humble, starting all over again. You’re out there competing against blades 2 inches from your shins, and your face, at times.”

On her first international competition (in Bulgaria) last winter: “It was a 1,500 heat. ... I ended up winning it, and that was kind of neat. I made the B final, and I ended up winning (that), so I was sixth overall.”

On learning how to roller-skate when she was a toddler: “My mom said I was walking on them. That was back in the quad days, the four wheels. We started loosening the axels as I started to get more balanced. Both my parents skated in quads (competitively). My dad was strong — I think he had a national title. And my mom, she had all the will and all the heart; just didn’t have the shins.”

Post by Laura (Lori) on Aug 30, 2009 6:30:07 GMT -8

Thanks, '19' - I guess I'm a bit surprised to hear that there are so many adjustments from inline to ST. I just assumed they were more similar - which makes Jessica's progress all the more impressive!

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out & screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!”